Belarus, Italien, Russland, Europa | FR | 23 07 2021 | 18:20 oe1.orf.at - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from oe1.orf.at Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Diplomats from the United States and Russia are set to square off this week in Iceland for their first face-to-face encounter that comes as ties between the nations have deteriorated sharply in recent months.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Russia’s longtime Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov plan to talk Wednesday on the sidelines of an Arctic Council meeting in the Icelandic capital of Reykjavik, a city with deep history in U.S.-Russian relations.
Even before the talks that are ostensibly to prepare for a summit between President Joe Biden and Russian leader Vladimir Putin next month the two diplomats laid down near diametrically opposed positions for the meeting, previewing what is likely to be a difficult and contentious exchange.